The Comfort of Thunderstorms
by iloveromance
Summary: As a fierce storm makes its way through Seattle, Daphne turns to the one soul who can help her through the frightening weather.


_**A/N: I feel compelled to say that this idea just came to me on a whim and that I realize I've written Daphne extremely out of character, given her reaction to a similar situation in "A Midwinternight's Dream" but I hope that you will see this story for what it is; AU fan fiction. Thanks for reading and for your comments. They are appreciated.**_

The bright lightening was followed by a loud clap of thunder that jolted her awake, propelling her from one nightmare to another. Like a frightened child, she pulled the comforter up to her chin, shivering violently while trying to keep her tears at bay. But then the rain began falling harder, pelting the window in sheet, frightening her even further. She needed the comfort of another person's voice. Any person would do.

Anyone, such as…. Dr. Crane.

His soothing radio-perfected voice often annoyed her along with his snobbishness and his infatuation with wine and opera. And his father was no better, with his rambling about the Seahawks, the Sonics and the Mariners-Seattle teams that were going nowhere fast. But right now she'd be happy listening to either man.

She rose from her bed and pulled on her robe, intent on finding them. They would surely be surprised to be awakened in the middle of the night-almost 1am-but she hoped they would understand. If they didn't, she would just tell them that she couldn't sleep and hoped that either of them would join her in a cup of coffee. At least by telling a white lie, she wouldn't have to tell them the truth. Yes, it was easier this way.

Feeling a bit more confident, she strode toward the living room but as she reached the end of the end of the hallway, she froze, remembering that she was alone. Martin and Frasier were out of town, having gone to the mountains on a father/son bonding trip. And they'd taken Eddie with them. Not only was she alone, but she was completely alone.

Once again her fears returned, coinciding with the lightening that momentarily filled the condo with brightness before the clap of thunder hit. Shaken to the core she gasped as the sound rang in her ears. When it happened again, much quicker than she anticipated, she scrambled to the first place her eyes fell upon… Martin's beloved chair.

Wrapping herself in a nearby throw, she sat down surprised at how comfortable it was. Tears spilled onto her cheeks and she clutched the blanket to her chin, willing the pounding rain to go away. But it wouldn't listen, crashing harder and harder against the picture window, the Seattle skyline blurred by the storm.

Suddenly the lights began to flicker, a sure sign of what was to come, and as though reading her thoughts, they finally shut off completely, leaving her in total darkness. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the blackness, but she couldn't see a thing. It was as though she'd fallen into a dark pit that led to oblivion and suddenly she was terrified. She didn't dare move and instead curled into a ball, sobbing like a child. If only there was someone-

Her hand moved around in the darkness and miraculously landed on a familiar shape. The phone receiver. As she picked it up, she was overcome with relief to hear the comforting sound of the dial tone. But she knew she'd better dial quickly, for the phone lines could die at any moment. Her heart raced as she pushed the tiny, barely lit numbers and pressed the receiver to her ear. As it rang, the horrible connection became worse, and the broken static made it almost impossible to hear.

"_-lo?"  
><em>

"D-Dr. Crane? Is that you?"

_"… can't hear…oo… too ...uch static! Call later!"  
><em>

"NO!" she screamed, suppressing a sob. "It's me! Daphne!"

_"What?" _

"DAPHNE!" she screamed a second time, feeling somewhat guilty for yelling at her friend.

"_Daphne? Dear…Is… wrong? Frasi… Dad?" _

She sniffled, feeling silly for even calling. "No! Everything's fine! I'm sorry to bother you! Goodnight, Dr. Crane!"

_"Wait! Don… ng up! Stay… are! Get… other phone… n… living room." _

She took a deep, staggered breath and when she opened her mouth to speak, the word came out in a child's voice. "Okay."

She could hear movement as he made his way into the living room. There was a clicking sound and the sound of a phone being hung up followed by footsteps and another click. Amazingly the static disappeared and she could hear clearly, despite the storm still raging outside.

"_Okay, I'm here. Daphne is everything all right?"  
><em>

It took her a moment to find her voice again and when it returned it was the same as before... small and meek. "No..."

She heard him sigh and just picturing the look of concern that must be on his face, the look that was _always_ on his face whenever he sensed that she was troubled, was enough to bring new tears. And at that moment she was grateful that she was alone so that he wouldn't see how weak she really was. But then she sniffled and bit back a sob, shattering her confidence once again. "I'm sorry…"

_"Daphne, Daphne… whatever is bothering you, just please remember that I'm your friend and that I'm here for you always. And if you don't want to talk about it, I understand, but whatever it is, don't give up hope. Frasier, Dad and I… we're all here for you and we want-."  
><em>

The thunder came again, with no warning whatsoever and she jumped. "I'm frightened, Dr. Crane!"

The moment the words tumbled from her mouth she regretted them. Bloody hell she sounded like a child! What was wrong with her? But amazingly Niles didn't seem to notice. Instead he spoke softly and gently.

_"Daphne, whatever it is, we'll get through it. I-Look, why don't I come over? I'd be glad to-."  
><em>

"No, I can't let you do that, Dr. Crane! This weather is horrible and-." Once more the thunder clapped and she screamed before breaking down even further. "Oh Dr. Crane please make it stop! I can't handle this! I-."

_"Daphne, Daphne… listen to me, all right? Just… Don't focus on the thunder and lightening. I know it's hard but try to think of something comforting like a childhood memory or a place that you love." _

She continued to sob. "I can't! It's so dark in here that I can't see in front of me hand!"

"_Daphne, just… try to relax, okay? Are you in a comfortable place? Are you in bed?"  
><em>

"No… I wouldn't be able to find me way back! I'm sitting in your father's chair!"

She heard him chuckle softly. _"Well, I'm glad you're someplace safe. Why don't you try closing your eyes and just think of something that makes you happy? Forget about the noise and just concentrate."  
><em>

"But-."

_"I won't leave you, Daphne. I'll stay right here on the phone for as long as you need me." _

"Okay…" The word was small and meek as she clutched the blanket to her chest.

_"Good, now just close your eyes and concentrate. Think of something that makes you happy."  
><em>

She did as he asked, trying hard to block out the thunder and the brightness of the flashes of lightening. The phone pressed to her ear, she could hear him speaking softly; soothing words that went on and on as he attempted to comfort her. She had no idea what he was saying, but it didn't matter. Her eyelids closed and images began to form in her mind. Images of her friend holding her close, her safe from harm as she held onto him, and she never wanted to let go of his comforting embrace.

He was at her door now; his eyes looking up and down at her shabby appearance telling her she looked beautiful. But then she heard his voice, calling her name, softly.

_"Daphne? Daphne? Daphne, are you still there?"  
><em>

Her eyes opened and she looked into the blackness, momentarily confused. "What? What happened?"

_"Are you all right?"_

"I…" She looked around the room, surprised to find that the rain had stopped and through the picture window, the clouds had parted, giving way to tiny beams of light from the stars overhead. It was as though an angel had parted the blackness allowing her to see.

God, what a loon she was, thinking something so ridiculous. She was-

"_Daphne?"_

His voice brought her back to the present. "Yes?"

"_Are you sure you're all right?"  
><em>

She smiled at his words. "I'm more than all right. The storm seems to have passed."

He chuckled again. _"So it has. I didn't even notice. But it's still dark here. Has your electricity been restored?"  
><em>

"No... But it's all right. I'm not frightened anymore. I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep, Dr. Crane. You must think I'm a total loon."

"_I would never think that, Daphne. And it was no trouble at all. I'm glad I could help you. And the truth is that I was feeling a little uneasy about this storm as well, so I'm glad you called. Thank you."  
><em>

She could hardly believe what she was hearing. "You're thanking me? But I didn't do-."

_"Your friendship means the world to me, Daphne."  
><em>

"And yours means a lot to me, Dr. Crane. I don't know what I'd do without you. If you hadn't been home tonight. I love you."

Through the crackled phone line he gasped audibly, as though stunned by her words. But she meant them with her whole heart. He was dearer to her than anyone at that moment, the only one who was there for her in her time of fearfulness. His father and brother would never have understood, but Niles did.

"Dr Crane?"

_"Um… yes, Daphne?"  
><em>

"Thank you for being here for me."

_"I'll always be here for you, Daphne. Always."_

They said their goodbyes and she blindly replaced the phone onto its base. Moments later the Seattle skyline lit up like a Christmas tree, along with the lights in the condo. It was like a sign of fate. She rose from the chair and went to her room. There she picked up her cell phone and glanced at the tiny numbers on the front, alarmed at how late it had become. It was well past 3am. She considered returning to her bed, but then she smiled to herself and snuggled into Martin's chair, reaching to turn off the lamp.

In the darkness, illuminated softly by the Seattle skyline, she drifted off to sleep once more, dreaming not of childhood memories, but of her friend, who had made her happier than she could have ever imagined.

**THE END.**


End file.
